On his reaction to learning his first 2010 FIFA World Cup opponent would be England: “It’s a great way to start. It’s a big challenge but when you come to the World Cup and you have a chance to kick it off against an opponent like England, it gives it a really special start.”

On the U.S. team’s chances of advancing out of the group stage: “I think there's a fair chance for us. Slovenia and Algeria both came through great situations to get to this World Cup; Algeria with a historic win [against Egypt] and Slovenia beating Russia in the playoff. We feel that this is a group that gives us a really fair chance to move on.”

On facing England: “We know their team. Obviously, [Fabio] Capello is a great manager, but you look forward to big challenges and we are excited about this one.”

On the key to attacking England: “I'll need a little time to sort that out, but we believe in playing our game, in playing at a good tempo. We believe in the fact that we have the kind of players that can be dangerous against very good teams.

On the draw: “It gives us a great opportunity to challenge ourselves in the first game. Believe me, we know that Algeria and Slovenia are very good teams and we have respect for what they accomplished. We’ll do our preparation and prepare our team. It's a four-year period of growing and we've played very tough teams along the way. We have the experience of the Confederations Cup. I think the final round of qualification in CONCACAF was a good challenge. I think these things work in a positive way to make sure that when we arrive here in June, everybody is ready to go.”

On how facing England, a team with which the U.S. is very familiar, affects the team’s preparations: “I think it just creates a huge match, good for fans and exciting for the players. We’ll look at it simply as a big challenge and one that we’re thrilled to have.”

On having matches relatively close to each other: “We did our homework; we had looked into base camps in this area. I think it works well that all of our games are within driving range.”

England National Team Head Coach FABIO CAPELLO

On his reaction to seeing England draw the U.S.:“Well, we played in Wembley last year in a friendly game, also against Slovenia, and they were both very good games. But I think the next game that we play here will be different. I know that the USA played here in June, played very well. I saw a lot of the games, saw them beat Spain, I do not think it will be an easy game. And another thing about the USA is that they will have more time to prepare and work hard.”

On Algeria and Slovenia: “Yes, we’ll have to be careful with Algeria, because they beat Egypt which was a really good team I know very well. I think they’ll be one of the surprises of this group.”

On meeting the U.S. on the second day of the tournament: “It’s very important to get the first game, and I think the we both know if you win the first game, it’s easier to play the other games.”

On the opportunity to see so many American players playing in England every week: “It’s good because USA players are good, and the Premier League, with La Liga, is one of the best leagues in the world. I think if you play in England, you are a really good player, like when European basketball players play in the USA.”